Lath-pulling machine



Oct. 7, 1924; 7 1,510,869

' W. A. SKINNER LATH PULLING MACHINE Filed July 2. 20 2 Sheets-Shed 1Oct. 7 1924.

1,510,869 w. A. SKINNER Filed July 2. 1920 2 Shasta-Sheet. 2

Patented Get. 7, 1924.

WALTER A. sxnvivniaor nonivsinnconnncrrcur.

LATI-I -PULLING MACHINE.

Application filed July 2,1920. Serial No. 393,571.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER A. SKINNER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Burnside, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented a new and Improved Lath-Pulling Machine, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the class of devices employed for withdrawinglath or similar supports from the tobacco stalks and upon which thelatter have been impaled in the process of drying, and an object of myinvention, among others, is to provide adevice of this class that shallbe simple in construction: and particularly efiective and rapid inoperation. v I

One form ,of device embodying my invention and in the construction anduse of which the objects herein set out, as well as 1 improved tobaccolath puller comprises aframe made up of end supports and an intermediate support. One end support includes two posts 7 rising verticallyfroni-a base board 6 at opposite sides thereof and joined by a cross bar8, while the other end support comprises a post 9 risin vertically fromthe base board at one side there-one side post 10' extending diagonallyupward from one side of the base board, abrace 11 and a cross bar 13.The intermediate support is similar in. construction to the end supportsjust described having in addition to the parts thus described a verticalpost 14 secured at its opposite ends to cross bars 12 and 13,.

I said cross bars 13 on the intermediate and end supports extendingdiagonally upward from the sideposts. a

A rackfor tobacco lath "is arranged between an end support and theintermediate support, this rack comprising a bottom board 15 secured tothe cross bar 8 and to the] bottom cross bar of the intermediate supportwith cleats 16 extending outwardly from the bottom board forthe-laththat fall from above after the tobacco has. been stripped therefrom.Strips 17 extend upwardly from the bottom board toform a back for therack.

The intermediate support and end sup ports together with the board 15,:cleats 16 and the posts 17 form a stripper section of the frame, whichsection also includes guide bars 18 extending lengthwise along oppositesides of the section at the top thereof, the bars and posts thus fardescribed being preferably composed ofangle iron, the bars 18 having.the horizontalparts of the angle iron composing them projecting inwardlyto form guides for a stripper to be hereinafter described.- v a i a Theintermediate support and the end support comprising the post 9 make upafeed section of the frame that also includes rests 19 secured totheupper sides of'the upper top cross'bars, these rests being ofconsiderable width, andvthe end and intermediate supports being spacedapart 'a distance to permit the ends, of thelath to rest upon saidrests, and sides 20 are provided as an aidin retaining the-lath inplace, said sides and rests in fact'providing a sort of trough in whichthe lath-are placedwith the tobacco (stems and-leaves) depending throughthe bottom of said trough, Thistrough slants downwardly from the feedingor front side of the frame, and the rests are preferably so positionedthatthat part thereof in line with a line drawn centrally between theguide bars 18 will be substantially in the horizontalplane of the guideson said guide bars, 1 a

- The stripper comprises a slide including a base 21 with guideways 22thereon, the

latter, in the structure herein shown, vbeing formed by riveting stripsof metal to the upper side of'the base to provide grooves constitutingsaid Iguideways, and as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, Gripper aws23 are pivotally supported on the under side of the base 21 these jawseachbeing preferably of angular shape with the vertical partconstituting the gripper jaws proper.

Connecting bars 24: are pivotally. "attached at their ends to thegripper jaws, the opposite ends of said bars being pivotally connectedto a gripper jaw actuating bar25 having a slot to receive studs;projecting from the base. This actuating bar receives a connecting rod27 that is pivotally attached to a gripper operating lever 28 pivotallysecured at its lower end to the base board 6. A pitman 29 connects thelever 28 with. a crank pin 30 on a wheel 81 and by means of which thegrippers are actuated.

This wheel 31 is secured to a shaft forming part of av reducingmechanism located in a case 82, said reducing mechanism being driven asby means of a motor 33 located on top of the case 32, this motorpreferably being of the internal combustion engine type, but it will beunderstood that any means for applying power to the grippers may beemployed as conditions may require.

A stop bar 34 is secured to the ends of the guide bars 18 and to theside of one of the rests 19, as shown in Figure 5 of the drawings,thisstop bar serving as a stop to engage the tobacco stems and hold themagainst movement when the lath are being withdrawn from the incisionWithin the stem.

In the operation of the device the lath on Which the tobacco is hung areplaced in numbers on the rests 19 with the tobacco hanging from thelat-h. These lath are placed in succession with the ends that rest onthe intermediate support in line with the opening between the gripperjaws that are reciprocated by the mechanism hereinbefore described sothat they will pass across and slightly beyond theintermediate supportand the ends of the lath on this support. As the grippers approach theend oftheir path of movement forwardly or toward the lath the ends ofthe latter are received between the gripper jaws, that, at this time,are open, said jaws having been opened by the opera tion of theactuating bar 25 moving forwardly on the base 21, which forward movementwas permitted by the studs engaging a slot 26 and comprising theconnection between said bar and said base, at the time said barcommencedits movement to operate the grippers. In the reverse movementof the grippers as the actuating bar 25 begins its backward movement, ormovement away from the lath, the stud and slot connection with the base21 causes the first part of said movement to be independent of saidbase,

the latter remaining stationary, with a re-' sult that the connection ofthe actuating bar with the grippers causes the latter to be closed uponthe latter before the base begins to move backwardly. When the forwardstud is located in the forward end of its slot the base 21 begins tomove backwardly, drawing the lath and tobacco thereon with it until theupper end of the tobacco stem nearest the stop bar 34 is drawn againstsaid loan A continued pull upon the lath causes the stems to be drawntogether and the lath is drawn through the stems and to a. positionoverlying the rack in the stripper section of the frame. As

the stripper begins its return or forward movement the jaws are openedas hereinbefore described and the lath is released and drops on to thebottom board 15, after which. the operation is repeated.

it is noted that the angular arrangement of the jaws 23 with respect toeach other provides a flaring opening widest at its end nearest the lathto receive the lath ends.

I claim 1. A tobacco stripping machine including rests spaced apart toreceive the ends of lath with tobacco depending between them, said restsbeing disposed in an inclined plane, a stop overlying oneof said restsproviding a space between said rest and the stop for movement of the endof a lath, and a stripper including a pair of jaws movably mounted withthe opening between the jaws in line with the end of a lath supported onsaid rests and underneath said stop.

2-. A tobacco stripping machine including a frame comprising twosections, rests disposed in an inclined plane on one of said sectionsand spaced apart to receive the ends of lath thereon with tobaccodepending between them, and a stripper reciprocatingly mounted on theother section of the frame and comprising jaws located in line with theend of a lath located upon said rest near the lower end thereof.

3. A tobacco stripping machine including a frame comprising twosections, rests located on one of said sections and extending laterallyof the frame at the side thereof and spaced apart to receive lath withtobacco depending between said rests, a stripper comprising jawsreciprocatingly mounted on the other section of said frame and with anopeningbetween said jaws in line with a lath located near the inner endof said rests, and cleats located on the second section of the frame andunderlying said stripper to receive lath therefrom as they are strippedfrom the tobacco and released from said jaws.

4. A tobacco stripping'nrachine including a frame, rests extendinglaterally from one side of the frame and spaced apart to receive theends of lath with the tobacco depending between them, a stripperincluding aws reciprocatingly mounted in line with lath located on saidrests within the main part of the frame, cleats extending laterallybeyond one side of the frame with their ends underlying said stripper tore ceive the lath as they are released from means for actuating saidbar, and a connection between said bar and each of said jaws to operatethe latter.

6. A tobacco stripping machine including a movably mounted base, a pairof jaws of angular shape and comprising a base portion and a verticalportion, the latter serving as grippers, means for pivotally connectingthe base portion of the jaws to the gripper base, an actuating barloosely connected with the gripper base and movable independentlythereof to effect operation of said jaws, means for operating the bar,and a connection between said bar and each of said jaws to operate thelatter.

7. A tobacco stripping machine including spaced rests for the ends ofthe lath with the tobacco thereon depending between said rests, a stopto resist movement of the tobacco, a gripper comprising movably mountedjaws to grip said lath, and means to operate said jaws to cause them toengage said lath and withdraw them from the tobacco.

8. A tobacco stripping machine including a frame, a rest arrangedlaterally of said frame to receive the ends of tobacco lath, a

gripper movable lengthwise of the frame I and comprising jaws to gripsaid lath, and

a rack to receive'the lath after they are withdrawn from the tobacco. 1

9. A tobacco stripping machine comprising a frame including an endsupport, an intermediate support, guide bars extending between saidsupports, a gripper slidably mounted on said guide bars, means forreciprocating said gripper, a second end support, and rests on the lastnamed end support and on the. intermediate support for the ends oftobacco lath;

10. A tobacco stripping machine comprising a frame including anintermediate support, guide bars secured to said intermediate support, agripper movably mounted on the guide bars and'including gripper jaws,means for operating said gripper, an end support, rests located on saidend support and said intermediate support, and a stop bar secured tosaid guide bars and spaced above said rests in the path of movement ofthe stem of tobacco leaves supported on lath engaged by said grippers.

WALTERA. SKINNER.

